Chapter 451

Haiyan Island, beneath the dilapidated university city subway station, the strange Infinite Train that had hidden overnight slowly emerged from the tunnel; Chen Sixuan opened the door and was stunned to find that yesterday's freight station and the surrounding already ruined streets had now become almost total ruins.

Looking out, the city seemed to have sunk several feet; many skyscrapers had toppled, and even the roads were nearly completely blocked.

Ugh!

The sky was thick with dark clouds; though it was morning, eerie cries rose and fell in the distance, accompanied by the thunderous crashes of collapsing metal and buildings, making the once-dead city strangely lively.

Qian Dele stepped out of the vehicle, his gaze sharply scanning the surroundings.

"No one can stay here anymore—by tonight, even before dusk, the strange entities will have flooded the entire city."

"Where's Team Leader Lin?" Shu Qin stepped out carrying her mechanical rifle; clad in battle armor, she was now utterly unlike the roaming hunter she had been during the Big Foot convoy days—she looked like a mechanical female warrior, her physical prowess greatly enhanced, as was Lu Chang's mobility.

Yet the weakness of gene-evolved individuals lay in their lack of effective combat methods against large-bodied strange entities; last night, Shu Qin, Lu Chang, and others from Chen Sixuan's building had discussed Vanessa's ability to break through physical limits after crystallization and unleash dark energy—this was indeed the only visible path currently available for achieving large-scale combat capability.

"He should be arriving soon." Chen Sixuan looked up at the sky, where several streaks of fire pierced the heavens, followed by sonic booms in midair before plunging straight down—Lin Xian and his team landed immediately.

"How is it?"

"Big trouble." Lin Xian raised his power armor's faceplate, his expression grim: "But at least we now know what the trouble is."

"This island is in such ruin, even zombies can't be seen—that's no accident."

Kiki sighed: "No wonder train groups heading toward the Oceanic Rail rarely send updates—this surrounding sea has become a feeding ground for world-class creatures."

"Feeding ground?"

Lin Xian nodded and quickly synced the team on the current situation; upon learning the urgency, every face darkened.

After communicating with Ryan, Lin Xian stared at the countdown before him, wondering if its duration was tied to Mount Garan or Uniqa-1—but he couldn't be certain, for the changes at Nantianmen might also be linked to the forbidden item he possessed…

"So if energy dissipation fails, are we searching for shelter within the Haiyan Island region?" Chen Sixuan asked.

Lin Xian looked at the group and said firmly: "Actually, rather than hiding on the island, I'd prefer to fly directly away from Haiyan Island."

"I agree," Qian Dele nodded immediately: "Honestly, I think hiding on the island is the worst option—only a last resort."

Mo Nika frowned slightly, arms crossed: "What about the Hawk Sea Group?"

"One of their teams has already headed toward the southeast waters; once I reconnect with the Lidao Base signal, we'll begin our underwater operation," Lin Xian said.

"Start right away?" Chen Sixuan asked.

"First, scout," Kiki said. "See if it's even possible."

"If it works, it might buy us more time," Xiang Ningjing added.

Lin Xian's gaze swept over the group: "Where's Director Ding?"

"Here."

From behind the crowd, Ding Junyi stepped quickly down from the vehicle, her expression calm as she told Lin Xian: "I've done a basic calculation of the data you sent me. I'm not familiar with geology, so I worked only from energy models—the preliminary conclusion is that even if Mount Garan erupted at its maximum recorded scale, it wouldn't cause major damage to Haiyan Island's terrain; at a magnitude 10 earthquake, we'd survive. The real problems remain the tsunami… and those monsters."